{"id":19590,"date":"2012-04-04T04:12:03","date_gmt":"2012-04-04T09:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=19590"},"modified":"2013-01-29T10:16:25","modified_gmt":"2013-01-29T15:16:25","slug":"overkill-the-electric-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/overkill-the-electric-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Overkill | The Electric Age<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Steve Patrick<\/span>
\nStaff Writer —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Bobby \u201cBlitz\u201d Ellsworth, D.D. Verni, and company are definite proponents of the \u201cif it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u201d mantra and this is by no means a bad thing. Overkill\u2019s latest record, The Electric Age<\/em>, is the third straight album to feature the same line-up. Aside from Blitz and D.D. the band currently consists of Dave Linsk on lead guitar, Derek Tailer on rhythm guitar, and Ron Lipnicki on drums. <\/p>\n

The personnel continuity is not the only consistent element present on The Electric Age<\/em>. The sound of the album is very much in line with the renewed thrash focus present on the record\u2019s predecessors: 2007\u2019s Immortalis<\/em> and 2010\u2019s Ironbound<\/em>. While so many metal fans are fawning over the Big Four these days, the Overkill of 2012 sounds rejuvenated and is producing balls-out thrash that rivals the quality of any of their classic early recordings.<\/p>\n

The band produced the album themselves and it was recorded in the band\u2019s beloved New Jersey. Thanks to some expert mixing\/mastering done by Greg Reely (Fear Factory, DevilDriver) and engineering by D.D. and Linsk, The Electric Age<\/em> is one of the best sounding Overkill albums ever. The rock solid rhythm section of D.D., Tailer and Lipnicki are clear in the mix. Also, Blitz\u2019 voice never once has to compete with Linsk\u2019s leads. The album cover is unapologetically old-school and really ties the whole \u201celectric\u201d concept together.<\/p>\n

From the opening track \u201cCome and Get It,\u201d the listener knows immediately that they are going on a relentless ride. D.D.\u2019s ever-present thundering bass propels the entire record from beginning to end. Next comes the album\u2019s first single, \u201cElectric Rattlesnake.\u201d Only Blitz\u2019s distinctive wails could sell the ridiculous (yet perfectly metal) concept of an electricity-charged viper and sell it he most certainly does.<\/p>\n

\u201cWish You Were Dead\u201d opens with a Blitz banshee scream from hell and never lets up. The track also demonstrates Linsk\u2019s proficiency on the fretboard by delivering a succinct, but sonically engaging, guitar solo. Linsk\u2019s guitar prowess is also highlighted nicely on \u201cDrop the Hammer Down\u201d and \u201c21st Century Man.\u201d <\/p>\n

The band is in fine form on this album and it\u2019s evident that all this time playing together has yielded a synergy that most bands can only dream of. Blitz is singing better than ever and even he professes in the song \u201cOld Wounds, New Scars\u201d that he\u2019s \u201cgotta lotta mouth for a Jersey white boy!\u201d This writer is in no position to disagree with that statement.<\/p>\n

Overkill has never forgotten the importance of the almighty hook. For example, one listen and you\u2019ll undoubtedly be singing the chorus of \u201cAll Over but the Shouting\u201d to yourself. Instant memorability is rare in modern metal and, thankfully for their fans, Overkill know precisely how to achieve it. Make no mistake, The Electric Age is now.<\/p>\n

Genre: Thrash<\/p>\n

Band:
\nBobby \u201cBlitz\u201d Ellsworth (v)
\nD.D. Verni (b)
\nDave Linsk (g)
\nDerek Tailer (g)
\nRon Lipnicki (d)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\t“Come and Get It” – 6:17
\n2.\t“Electric Rattlesnake” – 6:19
\n3.\t“Wish You Were Dead” – 4:19
\n4.\t“Black Daze” – 3:55
\n5.\t“Save Yourself” – 3:43
\n6.\t“Drop the Hammer Down” – 6:25
\n7.\t“21st Century Man” – 4:12
\n8.\t“Old Wounds, New Scars” – 4:11
\n9.\t“All Over But the Shouting” – 5:30
\n10.\t“Good Night” – 5:36<\/p>\n

Label: eOne<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Steve Patrick Staff Writer — Bobby \u201cBlitz\u201d Ellsworth, D.D. Verni, and company are definite proponents of the \u201cif it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u201d mantra and this is by no means a bad thing. […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[5085,1031,5083],"class_list":{"0":"post-19590","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-eone","8":"tag-overkill","9":"tag-the-electric-age"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19590\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}